The Special Spotlighted Member for this month on SW is :
Congrats!!
1. Where did you grow up?
I grew up with the bears and moosies! I used to ice skate down the street to my elementary school 4-5 months of the year, lol. The mosquitoes were the size of bees and would eat us alive in the summer. Tourist memorabilia tagged them as being our ‘state bird’. One year a moose ate our Christmas lights and ran off with them wrapped in its antlers. Another year, a bigger moose charged after my sister…she fell and broke her thumb, but was otherwise unharmed, heh. When we spent weekends in the bush at our cabin, I hated that we only had an outhouse in the woods, as it turned us into sitting bear-bait…(especially the year the door rotted off and we had to stare into the woods with our pants down, ears straining in the silence for unusual sounds coming our way!) I recall using superhuman powers to override my bodily functions for as long as possible, especially in the middle of the night!
Yes, I was born and raised in Alaska until I was 16... and one of these days I plan on writing about it, lol.
2. What is the first thing you remember that perked your interest in writing?
Honestly…I’m not entirely sure, lol. I always kept a journal when I was in my teens, so I guess that kind of got me started. I began writing poetry around the age of 14-15, and that is pretty much how I express myself even today. I remember whenever I’d read a really good book, I’d wish I knew how to write like that…and somewhere in the back of my mind I’d fantasize about being a ‘real writer’ one day. (Heck…I still do that!)
3. Did you go to college/university?
Only temporarily. I basically just took classes at the local college which held interest for me at the time, shortly after high school… drama, art, creative thinking, etc. (Nothing that led to any degrees unfortunately.)
4. Outside of college, how have you educated yourself beyond secondary school?
Not in the way most people do, lol. I’ve kinda just bounced around from one learning experience to another. I’ve taken courses in energy healing, been certified as a Reiki Practitioner, worked in wildlife centers for injured animals, etc. Pretty much just life experience I picked up along the way I guess.
5. How's the weather?
The weather has been nice lately. Still a bit warm for my liking…in the mid to high 80s, but a hell of a lot better than the heat waves we have every 2-3 weeks during the summer!
6. What's your favorite color?
Hmmmm…I have a few I guess. Shades of blue, purples and some pinks. But mainly blues.
7. Food?
Heh. I’ve always had a hard time naming a favorite food for some reason. There are so many good ones! But coming from an Italian family with many excellent cooks, I’d have to say old family recipes come to mind. Then of course, anything seafood. Also good salads…I could live on salad and not get tired of it, there are so many varieties!
8. Music?
Music…wow. I have such a wide range of different styles I love…it would take too long to list them all here! Pretty much a little of everything more of less, as long as it sounds good to me. I love Celtic, Renaissance, New Age stuff, Rock, Heavy Metal, Bluegrass, 80s stuff, Classic Rock, some 50s-60s stuff of my parents era, music from other countries, Belly dance/Gypsy stuff, and…my favorite band of all time…anything Metallica!! Music is the flow of life, I can’t imagine life without it.
9. Writer?
I have more than one, but just a handful really. I’ve always loved and admired stuff by Tolkien of course. Then C.S. Lewis, Hemingway, Jane Austen, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Ted Andrews…
10. TV show?
Hmmm…well there are a few I guess, lol. I like Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Medium, Ghost Whisperer, Dead Zone, T.A.P.S. Ghost Hunters, X-Files reruns. I also like scientific shows like Forensic Files.
11. Movie?
Wow…I don’t think I can list only one! Heh. I love movies, I’ll be honest. I have numerous favorites, but the ones I always return to repeatedly over the years are (in no particular order): Braveheart, Gladiator, Legends Of The Fall, L.O.T.R. trilogy, Harry Potter, Dragonheart, Interview With A Vampire, Far & Away…
12. Book?
Hmmm… that’s a tough one. I can’t think of one at the moment that stands out above the rest in my mind, though, perhaps it would be a Harry Potter book. They are most enjoyable to read!
13 . Poem?
I think it would have to be “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes!
Info about your Writing :
1. When did you first begin to write?
I guess that would go back to 9th grade…when I started experimenting with poetry.
2. What kind of stories do you prefer to write?
Well…so far, I haven’t really written much to be honest. Just a couple of really short pieces as far as ‘stories’ go. I have much to learn first I think. For the most part I’ve written mainly poetry, and a couple of songs. Poems are easiest for me since they come naturally and are inspired by my emotions. It’s always been therapeutic for me.
I do have some ideas for stories floating around in my head however…they just haven’t been written yet. I would like to write in a few different genres. I think I’d be good at children’s stories, then there are memoir type things that come to mind, some supernatural things, historical settings, magical fiction/fantasy stuff…those kinds of subjects appeal to me to try my hand at sometime in the future.
3. Fiction or non-fiction?
I like both actually. I have more non-fiction books than fiction however. I tend to love history, and also have many books on subjects I wish to learn from. But I love the idea of being able to create complete fiction from the imagination…where anything can happen outside of the confines of linear laws. Once I get down to the business of writing more seriously, I will have both fiction and non-fiction tales I’m sure.
4. Have you published anything?
Not really. Unless you count a few poems I’ve had published in school magazines, and one in some poetry book many years ago, which I lost and forgot the name of. Heh. I’m not certain they count however…(I wasn’t paid for them anyway, lol.)
5. What is your reaction when the muse visits? Drop everything and write it down or tuck it away in memory and write it later?
I guess a bit of both really. It depends on the situation. If I have the time to sit and mull over it, I will put other things aside and try to work on it. If I don’t have time right then, I will usually write down the ideas I have, and plan on fleshing them out later. (I’ve learned to jot down inspiration when it hits, since I’ll often ‘forget’ what it was later if I don’t.)
6 . Do you consider yourself a spontaneous writer or do you tend to plan things out in advance?
Hmmm…I think mostly I’m spontaneous. I know I certainly am when it comes to my poetry. An idea will strike me, and I have to start writing it down while the inspiration is there, otherwise I lose it…(though, sometimes I only get a couple of lines and have to put it away for later if I get stuck.) For the couple of short stories I’ve written, they were spontaneous as well…I did them for contests, came up with an idea then just wrote as I had visions come to me. So far, I’ve never been able to sit there and plot everything out in advance. I pretty much just start writing and see where it flows for the most part, while keeping a very loose/vague overall idea tucked in the back of my mind.
7. How does reading other authors affect your writing skills?
Well, when I read a piece that really strikes me as being something I wish I would have written myself…I will try to get an overall feel for how that author writes. I’ll make observations as to their writing style, their vocabulary, what makes them stand out as being great to me, etc… and I try to remember those things, hoping to maybe learn from them and find a way to blend those attributes in with my own skills.
8. When you sit down to write something is it fun or work?
Heh…I guess a bit of both really. It starts out being fun, and mostly it always is…but there is some mental ‘work’ involved too, or rather…‘effort’ I should say. It’s always somewhat of a challenge to see what I can come up with, as I want to do the best I can naturally. Nobody wants to be a mediocre writer, so in that way I suppose it is ‘fun work’. :0)
9. How do you get past writers block?
Well, usually I will write as much as I can at the time, and if nothing else will come after a period of serious attempts, I’ll just put it away for later. I find often that by giving yourself a break, even for days or a week or whatever…by the time you come back to it, the ideas will be flowing again. If that doesn’t work, sometimes I’ll try to get inspiration from something else, and write about something completely different and new. That tends to free your mind from the ‘big thing’ you’re focusing on…giving you permission to flow in another area as it were, and sometimes that flow will free up your ‘stuck areas’ with the piece you had writer’s block on.
10. What feeds your desire to continue writing?
Dreams I guess. I’ve often had dreams in which I was a successful writer, and it came easily to me, and it felt great. (Though, when I awake I tend to think it’s a lot more difficult!) LOL.
I’ve always had a need to express myself in writing one way or another. I’ve had it in the back of my mind since I was in high school that I wanted to write. I just never did anything about it, (other than my poetry), until recently. I am still a complete novice with much to learn when it comes to constructing stories, however…I have hopes that I’ll be fairly decent at it once I really apply myself and get down to the business of seriously creating. I just haven’t had the chance yet.
11.Who are your influences?
Hmmm… I guess I’d have to say, anyone that writes how I wish to write myself. This would include J.K. Rowling, Tolkien, and a close friend of mine who is quite gifted with the written word.
12.How do you know when your story is finished?
I just have a gut feeling about it. It has to FEEL FINISHED to me. There’s a lot of times when I’m not sure how to end a poem…sometimes I can’t finish it right away, but I’ll know it’s not finished since it doesn’t feel right. If I keep returning to fiddle with it once it‘s ‘supposedly done‘, if it feels lacking in some way, then it’s not right. So I have to put it away until I can figure it out. When it feels ‘complete’ in and of itself, then I know.
General things about you:
1. Hobbies?
Reading…writing when I get a chance… drawing/painting
2. Pets?
One super sweet 11 yr old kitty…(the last of 3. I lost his brother and sister earlier this year.)
3. Talents?
Hmmm…well I have a knack for always making the most perfect pancakes ever! LOL. I’m naturally artistic. I seem to have some success with writing poetry. I am a sort of “animal whisperer” I guess you could say. Hahaha. I’ve tamed wild mice, lizards, birds, brought a goldfish or two back from the brink of death simply by using energy healing & prayer…and animals of all kinds are generally drawn to me, (which I love since I adore them all). Sometimes I am telepathic… with strangers, but especially with those I’m close to, including my pets.
Heh…okay, that’s enough of me!
4. What advice would you give to growing writers?
Well…I’m certainly no expert! Heh. But if you have the desire to write, then you should. It seems to be helpful to read a lot, picking up pointers from other writers…learning from others where you can. I would maybe recommend taking a writing course if you think you could benefit from it. (I haven’t yet, but I’ve been considering it, as I have much to learn still, and would like to know more about how to create a solid story). I think also, one of the best ways to grow with your writing, is to be like many of the young writers I see on this site, who just write, write, write! The more you write, the better you become over time.
Comments have been disabled to encourage personal interaction with the special spotlighted member.
Thank you Veritaserum for all that you contribute to SW!
